ALLOA boss Jim Goodwin was delighted with how his side defended as they held league leaders Raith Rovers to a goalless draw last Saturday.

The manager felt his side could have created more in the final third but was impressed with the way his side dealt with Rovers' attacking threats.

And he wants his players to carry that level of performance into their upcoming games.

Goodwin told Advertiser Sport: "We go into every game wanting to win it but we are well aware of how good a side Raith Rovers are. I thought we defended very well all day.

"The likes of Spence, Buchanan and Vaughan have got 30 league goals between them this season so we made a point of marshalling them.

"We were good defensively, from Kris Renton all the way back. Neil Parry made some good saves, especially one in the first half.

"Going forward, I felt we just lacked a little bit of cutting edge. We picked the wrong pass at the wrong time and the decision-making and sharpness at that end of the pitch wasn't quite there, but at the same time there were plenty of positives.

"Jordan Kirkpatrick forced the keeper into a good save in the first half, and Kevin Cawley has a chance at the end where the ball probably just comes at him a bit too quickly.

"Overall, I think the draw was probably fair.

"I thought Jamie McCart and Andy Graham were excellent up against Spence and Buchanan. Vaughan is a big player for them as well but we dealt with him well.

"We were good right across the board. The back four were very good, and Garry Fleming in particular was excellent. He covered every blade of grass and made some really important tackles and blocks.

"If we can take the positives from the defensive side of things and sharpen up in the forward areas in the coming weeks we will be absolutely fine."

Goodwin admitted his side now need a miracle to catch League One's runaway top two but insisted they are not giving up in their fight for promotion, although the playoffs look a much more likely destination for the Wasps.

He said: "The gap between ourselves, Ayr and Raith is now quite big and we probably need them to have an absolute collapse, but we certainly won't be throwing the towel in.

We've got two games in hand and if we win them that reduces the gap a bit. But we just have to focus on ourselves.

"We're not concentrating on the table at the minute. Nothing is decided in January so we just have to keep doing what we're doing and maintain the high standards we've set."

Next up for Alloa is the second part of their double header against the division's 'big two', and the manager called for a repeat of last Saturday's resolute performance when his team travel to Somerset Park.

Goodwin added: "Ayr's forward line is frightening and they score goals for fun. The likes of Moffat, Moore and Shankland are going to need to be marshalled the exact same way as the Raith players were.

"Hopefully the break of the ball goes our way at the other end. It's a game to look forward to. There's always a great atmosphere down there. The boys are feeling confident going into that one as well."